Reviews of two new releases from Prince and Black Hand Entertainment.   Various Artists Black Gangster--the Soundtrack Black Hand Entertainment Of related interest: This week's WW culture feature, Iceberg Slim's Pimp: The Story of My Life, Super Fly (the movie and soundtrack) Authors Robert Beck and Donald Goines entertained generations with their hardboiled, two-fisted tales of ghetto violence and black criminal life. The gritty pimps, hustlers and ghetto avengers in their pages eventually inspired a new, less bookish generation to give birth to gangsta rap. Ice-T took his name from author Robert Beck's nom de plume Iceberg Slim; Ice Cube is slated to star as Beck in the adaptation of his autobiography, Pimp. Yet for all its bluster, most gangsta rap fails to capture the impact or poignancy achieved on the page by Beck and Goines. More than two decades after Goines' seminal novel Black Gangster appeared comes the soundtrack to the film based on the book. One little problem: There's no film. Not only has the would-be flick not been released, it hasn't even gone into production. In a strange marketing move, Black Hand Entertainment hopes sales of a "soundtrack" packed with high-profile hip-hop stars will fund its cinematic adaptation of Goines' magnum opus. This would be well and good if this album were a true soundtrack capturing the spirit of Goines' novel. It ain't, and it don't. The magic of a perfect fusion of music and film--think of the water-tight cohesion of Curtis Mayfield's Superfly soundtrack--is missing. These are just a bunch of songs thrown on to a disc. Jay-Z works his usual magic with "This Life Forever," and DMX tones down his mad-dog delivery with "The Story." Black Gangster shines brightest on the non-rap track "Money Tree" by Kasual, a soulful groove that would be at home on any classic blaxploitation soundtrack. If you're looking for a good sampler collection of rap, you could do worse than Black Gangster. But if you're looking for something magical, something that flows with emotion and story, you'll need to go somewhere else. David Walker   The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Rave un2 the Joy fantastic NPG/Arista Of related interest: body stockings, Make Up, make-up, the boys-choir version of "When Doves Cry" in Romeo & Juliet Prince is stranger than most. The bikini underwear, ruffled shirts, booty-huggin' pants, high-heeled boots, tons of Max Factor, quirky cover art and that damned unpronounceable symbol have thickened the cloud of mystery over the years. Still, he's a genius, plain and simple. Prince's ability to stand in the present time, look back at the past and develop tomorrow's music raises him above his peers. Nostalgia will likely keep "1999" rotating in the next millennium. The beautiful "When Doves Cry" went straight to the top without a bass, a feat that still amazes. Artists still employ the sonic innovations of Sign 'O' The Times, 12 years after the album's release. During The Artist's three-year major-label hiatus, the exceptionally funky NewPowerSoul circulated the underground. Now he's discovered whatever it was he needed to discover and turned to Arista for distribution of Rave un2 the Joy fantastic, his first joint pushed by a major since his days at Warner Bros. Rave encapsulates 20th-century Prince: Driving guitar riffs, heavy-duty bass lines and superb synthesizer work. The title track and the ballad "Wherever U go, Whatever U do" recall the pre-Purple Rain days, when his music defined the '80s pop sound. "Prettyman," featuring Maceo Parker, leaps all the way back to James Brown's day. There are moments when the CD is too poppy, as on the Gwen Stefani-aided "So Far, So Pleased" and "Baby Knows," which features Sheryl Crow. Luckily, braggadocio cuts like "Undisputed" with Chuck D and "Hot Wit U," flavored by Eve's hot sex rhymes, bring things back around. The sad metaphor of "Tangerine"--"Even tho I take ur picture/everywhere I go/I use it 4 a coaster and drink the overflow"--teases for one minute, 32 seconds. The sensuous "The Sun, the Moon and Stars" gives a smidgen of what to expect from Prince in the future. At the end of the 20th century, The Artist is just as strong as he was 20 years ago. And that's amazing. H.V. Claytor, Jr.   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published December 15, 1999